Explanation:
Why does this cloud look so strange?
Actually, pictured above are several
clouds all stacked up into one striking
lenticular cloud.
Normally, air moves much more horizontally
than it does vertically.
Sometimes, however, such as when wind comes off of a
mountain or a
hill, relatively
strong vertical oscillations take place as the air stabilizes.
The dry air at the
top of an oscillation may be
quite stratified in moisture content, and hence forms
clouds at each layer where the air saturates with moisture.
The result can be a
lenticular cloud with a
strongly layered appearance.
The above picture was taken in 1999 over Plymouth,
New Hampshire,
USA.
The same lenticular
cloud also looks strange when
photographed from 30 kilometers away.